Fast Food Restaurant Launches 'Six Pack' Burger - The '6 pack' is topped by ketchup inside two of the rolls, cheese in another two and bacon and cheese in the final two. / Source: Burger King

It's called the "6 Pack" but anyone with the appetite to eat this monster burger is likely to have a stomach of a more rounded variety.

The latest massive offering from the world of fast food is available in Burger King restaurants across the country on Monday.

But the giant US corporation insists the calorie-busting burger is designed to "share" between family or friends.

Keen to deflect criticism from health campaigners that they are contributing to the obesity epidemic, the High Street chain is marketing the 6 Pack as a "tear and share" product intended for up to six people to split between them.

However, even before the product's launch, junk food aficionados were already talking about eating one alone on internet discussion forums.

The 6-Pack is comprised of six "mini-burgers" each containing an individual Aberdeen Angus beef patty.

The six buns are joined together in the centre, so forming a large single burger.

Two of the burger sections are topped with ketchup, two with cheese and two with bacon and cheese. It is priced £4.49 on its own or £5.69 as part of a meal.

Each 6 Pack contains 917 calories (the recommended daily calorie intake for men is around 2,500 and women 2,000) and 18g of saturated fat (the recommended daily amount for men is 30g and women 20g).

Victoria Taylor, dietitian for the British Heart Foundation said: "A responsible approach to portion size is vital to the promotion of healthier diets.

"One of these 'six-packs' contains almost the entire daily saturated fat allowance for a woman, and almost half the calories, so it is important that it is clear to customers that this meal is not suitable for an individual.

"As well as being marketed responsibly, nutritional information should also be available in the store so the customer is aware of the large amount of fat and calories they could be consuming.

"While buying something that can be broken into smaller portion sizes may appear to be downsizing, you can't keep burgers to eat later, so a customer could end up eating more than they initially intended."

But Burger King reject health concerns and claim to be promoting social eating.

David Kisilevsky, vice president of marketing, said: "Burger King is proud, once again, to set the standard for quick serve restaurants in the UK with a product that is unique, both in its format and quality.

"The 6 Pack is one of our most innovative Angus variations and is a new menu item that groups of friends or families can enjoy together."

Health campaigners have hit out at large fast food portions because of the huge obesity problem in the UK.

Figures released this month show Britons are becoming the fattest people in Europe. English and Scottish women lead the heavyweight league table with almost six out of ten overweight or obese.

Men fare little better with at least two-thirds too heavy for their height, according to the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Children are also near the top of the table, with around a third weighing more than they should.

Child obesity in the UK has quadrupled since 1984 and the fast food boom is seen as a major factor in the worrying development.

Overall we are the second fattest nation in the developed world - with only the USA beating us in the league of shame.